Bad Habit
by JodiMarie2910
Summary: Two months after she leaves him on the stairs, Ga Eul finds herself at Yi Jeong's house, at his birthday party, still questioning what could have been. What happens at the end of the night? Basically an alternate ending for my OTP. (AU in that YJ doesn't go to Sweden) Three-Part Fic COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a little something that popped into my brain after finishing Heart of Porcelain :) **

Ga Eul had honestly expected better cake. Beneath its flowery white fondant, the vanilla confection crumbled too easily and parched her throat. The thick white strip of icing in the center tasted like sugarcane wrapped in plastic.

It was a bad habit of hers, really. The whole eating-whenever-she-got-nervous thing. One day she'd be puffed up like a hot air balloon from all the cake she consumed at tedious work events and extended family gatherings and extravagant birthday parties where she barely knew anyone like the birthday party she was at right now.

It had been two months since she left Yi Jeong on that staircase. She hadn't heard from him since, and while she had been more than a bit disappointed at his lack of protest over her leaving him, she supposed it was for the best. She needed to get over him and move on with her life. She needed to accept that he would never want to be part of her life in the same way she wanted to be part of his. Tonight was his birthday, though, and she'd decided it wouldn't hurt to make one last exception. An appearance for old times' sake. After all, she'd worked so hard on his present over the past few weeks—a clay tea pot her teacher had glazed for her. It would be a shame if she didn't deliver it in person.

A parting gift, she'd told herself, warring against the logical parts of her brain.

He was her bad habit too.

Instead of going up to where he stood amidst a crowd of schoolmates and admirers, she'd been lurking at the buffet table at the far end of the room for the past half hour, unable to muster the courage to approach him. Flocks of elegant women circled around him, doubling back as often as they were either greeted casually or rebuffed.

At least he didn't seem very interested in them.

Not that it was any of her business if he was.

He was talking with Jun Pyo, as well as a few other guys she had never met before but she assumed to be from their school. In fact, looking around her, she realized she didn't know anyone here aside from the other F4 members. Jan Di had been held up by a family commitment at the last minute, which left her here alone with the love of her life twenty feet away and nothing but a plate of cake crumbs to show for it.

Worse than that, this party showed her exactly why someone like Yi Jeong would forever be out of her league. His parents' house looked like something out of the Heirs drama. As large as Jun Pyo's home and littered with priceless art and ancient artifacts, the three story mansion boasted eighteen rooms, expansive gardens, an indoor and outdoor pool, tennis courts, and a private shooting range. At least, that's what she'd read online before visiting his house. She had walked past the indoor pool on her way to the bathroom earlier, but she had yet to see the gardens or any of the outdoor amenities, as dark as it was.

Over the past year, her visits to his studio had become so frequent and his presence in her life so familiar that she tended to forget how different they were. Maybe it was the size of his studio—the space was rather intimate, now that she thought about it. It was certainly larger than that small apartment Jan Di had lived in but nowhere near as large as his bedroom probably was in a house this size.

His bedroom.

She shouldn't be thinking about things like that.

She wondered how many girls he'd taken up there after a party like this one.

She shouldn't be thinking about things like that.

Ga Eul sipped on her flute of champagne.

It left her throat warm but dry.

She needed water.

And as if his family weren't enough, she mentally continued, he just _had_ to be a world renowned prodigy too.

Honestly, she couldn't think of one thing about herself that even her own family would consider outstanding. In school, she had made average grades. Not bad grades, just average. She wasn't a budding genius in any subject. She couldn't play an instrument. She couldn't sing. She hated giving speeches or presenting any sort of material—artistic or otherwise—in front of anyone. She cried far too easily and trusted people she shouldn't.

Yi Jeong was right. She was a nice girl. An innocent. The type of girl people liked to take advantage of. The sad thing was people did take advantage of her, and half the time she didn't even know it was happening until it was too late. Most of her life had been spent in Jan Di's shadow—Jan Di the protector—outspoken, resourceful, always taking care of everyone and everything.

Compared to her, Ga Eul was a ghost.

Yet Yi Jeong had once looked at her like she was the most important person in the world.

She'd loved how she felt when he'd looked at her like that.

She'd stupidly believed he'd keep looking.

She looked out the window and tried to imagine him looking at her from across _this_ room like _that_, but someone elbowed her and she had to move away from the cake.

Positioning herself closer to the wall so that she could halfway hide behind the curtains, Ga Eul sighed inwardly.

Pessimism and self-pity had never been her thing. She had been perfectly content with her plain, uneventful existence until she'd started liking him.

Maybe some of his personality had rubbed off on her.

She didn't like that feeling miserable only made her feel closer to him.

Not one bit.

* * *

Yi Jeong had seen Ga Eul when she came in. Really, how could anyone have missed her in her bright red coat that she'd refused to take off like she planned to flee at any moment?

Laughing half-heartedly at a joke Jun Pyo made, Yi Jeong kept her in the corner of his sight, though she'd backed herself behind a curtain. He'd expected her to come greet him for some time now, but apparently she had no intention of doing so. Whether she felt intimidated by the crowd of people or was simply sticking to her plan to avoid him for all eternity, she hadn't moved from the buffet table for half an hour.

It was beginning to annoy him.

He had taken her for a lot of things but never a coward.

And if she didn't want to see him, then why was she here?

He didn't necessarily blame her for not wanting to see him. He'd done nothing but put her through pain, first by pushing her away, then by using and humiliating her, and finally by running after his first love only to realize she was not the one for him anymore. He'd always believed Ga Eul deserved someone better than him, and he'd done everything to prove his theory right.

And on top of that—on top of everything else—he was a coward.

He hadn't said anything to her on the stairs—partly because he had been shell-shocked by her declaration but partly because he still feared rejection. She had made it clear she didn't want to see him. Why should he expect her to rescind her statement? Ga Eul had always been honest with him—at times irritatingly so.

Perhaps they missed their moment the way Ji Hoo and Jan Di had missed theirs.

Perhaps he should just leave it alone.

Yet two months later, he still found himself driving by the porridge shop, hoping to catch a glimpse of her waiting on customers.

He hadn't expected her absence to hurt the way it had. He hadn't expected to miss her the way he did. He thought his heart was finished with love after Eun Jae, but Ga Eul had revived it somehow, in ways he didn't fully realize until after she left.

"Bro...Bro...Bro, you there?" Woo Bin waved a bandaged hand in front of Yi Jeong's face.

He had a broken hand now too but on the opposite side, courtesy of his family's profession.

"I'm sorry, what?" Yi Jeong asked, unwillingly tearing his eyes away from Ga Eul.

"I gotta ask you something." He slung his arm around Yi jeong. "We'll be back," he called over his shoulder as he steered Yi Jeong away from the crowd. When they were far enough away not to be overheard, Woo Bin asked quietly, "Aren't you going to talk to her?"

"No."

"You want me to invite her over here?"

Yi Jeong narrowed his eyes.

"_No._"

"You know you can't lie to me."

Setting his empty champagne flute down, Yi Jeong shoved his hands in his pants pockets. Woo Bin's intense stare made him feel like a criminal under interrogation.

"Fine," he muttered. "Okay, _fine,_ I'd like to talk to her, but obviously she doesn't want to see me."

"If she doesn't want to see you, then why did she come?"

"Because clever Jun Pyo gave her an invitation. Because she's Ga Eul-yang. She's too fucking polite for her own good." Yi Jeong mumbled the last sentence into a new glass of champagne he'd proffered from a passing waiter.

"Didn't I tell you to contact her after what she said to you at Namsan?...You didn't do it, did you?"

_Contact her and say what? He'd reached out to her already, and she'd pushed him away._

"You know, when you pushed her away before, she came back to you. She came back and picked your sorry ass off the literal ground, and now you can't even go over there and say hello?"

Well, Woo Bin certainly wasn't pulling any punches tonight.

Ignoring the guilt niggling at the base of his throat, he replied, "You want me to try again? You really think she wants that?"

"I think you know the answer to that question already." Woo Bin clapped a hand on Yi Jeong's shoulder. "But...if it'll help you along...I'll see if I can talk her into coming over here."

He thanked his best friend with a nod and watched him trek across the room to the lone girl in the red coat.

He had too many regrets behind him, but she had come back one more time. It could be nothing, but maybe fate was giving him a nudge.

* * *

"You, uh...you really like him, don't you?"

Ga Eul spun to see Woo Bin leaning against the buffet table.

She choked on the new piece of cake she'd shoved in her mouth.

"I'm...sorry?" She gulped down the cake with some effort.

"Yi Jeong. I've been watching you two for a long time. You like him, right?"

Ga Eul's cheeks heated.

"Lots of people like Yi Jeong Sunbae."

"You love him."

Ga Eul opened her mouth to protest, but only a croak came out before Woo Bin continued, "I think he likes you too."

_Likes her too? Is Woo Bin already drunk? _

Ga Eul looked down at her plate and scraped a few pitiful crumbs onto her fork.

"W-where...where would you get a silly idea like that?"

"You convinced him not to give up on his art. Even I couldn't do that. He listens to you. He respects you a lot."

"Well...respecting me and liking me are two different things." Ga Eul shifted her weight and considered reaching for another slice of cake. "Anyway, why do you think he likes me?" Ga Eul laughed nervously. "I mean...look at me. I know I'm not his type. He likes girls like...like...like that." Ga Eul pointed to two elegant, slim figured women chatting near them. "You said so yourself when we went on our fake date."

"No." Woo Bin took her plate away, unfortunately causing her to look back up at him. "He dates girls like that. But...he actually cares about girls like you."

"Then he views me as a friend. Like Jan Di. But that's all I am. I—"

"Why did you let him go?"

"He told you about that?"

"I'm his best friend. We tell each other everything."

_Did he also tell you about the night he offered me up to his father like a menu item at a buffet? _

"Look, Sunbae...I thought he liked me once, and I was very, very wrong. I don't particularly want to relive that experience. Besides, he has someone else."

"Someone else?...Ah, you mean Cha Eun Jae?"

Ga Eul nodded.

"I sort of helped him find her again."

"I know. But I think you've got it wrong. Eun Jae is engaged to his brother."

"What?"

No wonder she hadn't heard anything about her and Yi Jeong getting together.

Not that it mattered.

"Doesn't matter," she replied matter-of-factly. "He still loves her, doesn't he?...Don't lie to me, Sunbae. I saw the way he looked at her. I'm sorry, but I don't have any interest in being anyone's backup option. Excuse me. I've got to get home."

Woo Bin grabbed her arm.

"He's always liked you. I'd swear to it."

"Did he send you over to talk to me?"

The look on Woo Bin's face told her what she wanted to know. Yi Jeong had seen her, yet he'd made no effort to come to her himself.

"_If_ he likes me, then _he_ can come get me," Ga Eul replied. "Other than that, it's late, and I have to get home."

Jerking her arm away from Woo Bin, she tore through the crowd of people and headed for the front door.

On her way out, she shoved her present on top of the countless others piled onto a table in the foyer. For some reason, speaking with Woo Bin had made her angry.

What did he mean, Yi Jeong had always liked her? He'd liked her so much he'd treated her like a joke? If that was the way he treated people he liked, she'd hate to be someone he despised.

The tears started before she could stop them.

Walking out to the drive, she tried to look dignified, like she was waiting for her own chauffeur instead of a cab, but it was a losing battle as snot ran down her upper lip and she choked on her own saliva.

Unwilling to remain in the entrance with everyone gawking at her, she walked around the side of the large house and into the dark of the garden, deciding to stay there just until she calmed down. Alone, and suddenly unbearably tired, she let the sobs erupt from her throat and into her hands.

Who did Yi Jeong Sunbae think he was?

The lights came on in the garden, strings of them woven through bushes and wrapped around the wooden slats overhead. Her tears blurred them until she saw only fluorescent gold specks bleeding together. The last of summer's flowers opened sleepy heads toward her and beckoned her with their vibrant colors. A fountain in the center of the garden also sprung to life while she sat there, like it had decided to weep with her.

She hadn't the heart to appreciate such beauty at the moment.

She hadn't a heart to open to anything at all.

Her insides ached with everything she had spoken...and everything she had not.

Curling up on a rough concrete bench near the fountain, she buried her head in her hands and continued sniffling quietly, unaware of another person's presence until he spoke, softly and familiarly.

"Why do I always find you like this?"

Ga Eul didn't uncurl herself.

"I told you girls don't look prettier when they cry."

_What do you care if I look pretty or not? _

Keeping her eyes on the ground, she slowly sat up.

"Aren't you supposed to be at your party?" she croaked, her voice deeper than normal even to her own ears.

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be at my party? What are you doing alone out here? Woo Bin said you had gone home."

She stood up, facing him with every ounce of courage she had left.

Gosh, this was embarrassing.

"If you knew I had gone home, then why were you looking for me?"

"I didn't say I was looking for you."

"You said you found me. What else does that mean?"

When Yi Jeong didn't answer, she sighed and continued, "I'm sorry, I was just waiting on my cab." She wiped her eyes on her coat sleeve. "I'll be going now."

"Not until you tell me why you were crying." Yi Jeong grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. Their shoulders brushed.

"Not until you tell me why you were looking for me," she shot back before she could catch herself.

Great. All she needed were his mind games right now.

Yi Jeong loosened his grip, and she took a step back.

They stood at a respectable distance from each other—not comfortable, exactly, but respectable.

"Well?"

"You first."

"I'm sorry. I think I've gone over my feelings a few too many times at this point. Why don't you start for a change?"

"If I interpreted your last words correctly, I thought you never wanted to see me again. So why are you here?"

"It was a mistake. I shouldn't have come here."

"So why did you? Or maybe I can ask a better question. Why did you leave? After all you did, after all you _disrupted_, what made you think you could just leave like that?"

"You didn't exactly come after me, Sunbae. You didn't say a single word. I wasn't aware it bothered you."

"You didn't give me a chance to say anything! You just walked off!"

"A chance to say what?! What were you going to say that would make me feel so much better about never being good enough for you?!"

She'd said that last bit too loud. Any second now she expected someone to run out of the bushes and tackle her, making sure she didn't cause their precious F4 member any bodily harm.

Sure enough, a group of muffled voices drifted over to them, drawing closer and closer to where they stood staring at each other.

"Come on."

Yi Jeong held out his hand to her.

She stared at it.

"Ga Eul-yang, take my hand," he urged.

She must have looked suspicious because he amended, "Please."

Glancing toward the entrance, she saw a couple step out of the shadows. They hadn't noticed her or Yi Jeong yet, caught up in each other as they were.

Then the girl spun around to face them.

Ga Eul grabbed Yi Jeong's hand, and they ran.

Following the winding path that led deeper into the garden, they ended up in a secluded corner surrounded on three sides by hedges and covered with vines stretching over the top. Yi Jeong surveyed the path behind them to make sure no one had followed them or was otherwise loitering around.

When he turned back to her, the look in his eyes told her she was in for it.

"Look, for the record, I never said you weren't good enough for me. Honestly, you could do a hell of a lot better than me. Do you even...do you even _get_ how much of a saint you are?"

"It doesn't make any difference, does it? You wouldn't want a saint."

He dropped his voice.

"I want you."

"No...You don't. You and Eun Jae Seongsaengnim—"

"You were right. I did love her...once...I thought I'd never be happy like that again after she left. Then I met this silly commoner. She always shows up at the most inconvenient times. She asks the most aggravating questions. She's ridiculously stubborn...and really...unbelievably...beautiful." He touched a strand of her hair. "I was going to tell you that...remember that day I came to see you at your pottery lessons? I was planning on asking you out. On a real date, I mean."

Ga Eul said nothing.

He tried again, "You told me that once you found your soulmate, you wouldn't let him get away. That you'd regret it for the rest of your life if you did."

"I never said you were my soulmate." Ga Eul bit her lip.

Yi Jeong's expression hardened, then lapsed into indifference.

"Fine then...Go...I'm sorry I held you up." He stepped back.

She didn't move.

She'd imagined her soulmate as someone sweet and honest and uncomplicated.

Someone totally unlike Yi Jeong.

She didn't move.

Her eyes stayed so concentrated on his face that she barely noticed him step closer until he stood right on top of her.

She wondered whether he recognized her perfume.

He'd bought it for her on their fake date.

"You're not going to leave?" he whispered.

Shaking her head, she took in a nervous, shallow breath.

Had she been breathing at all for the past few minutes?

"Good."

The look in his eyes told her her he was going to kiss her now, or at least try to like he had in his studio.

She closed her eyes just as she had done on that day. She'd only kissed one of her short-lived boyfriends, but he'd initiated it and it had felt so awkward at the time that she was too embarrassed to try it again.

Yi Jeong's lips felt foreign on hers, like she was touching something forbidden, and at first they brushed hers so gently she wondered if they'd really touched. Then they pressed against hers harder, and she grabbed his suit jacket, pulling him to hold her. She needed to feel his arms around her. She needed to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Grasping his shirt collar, she let him back her into an unlit hedge. He had one hand on her back now and one in her hair, messing up the curls she'd spent an hour doing in her mom's bathroom.

Leaning into him to keep from falling over, she let him slip his tongue between her lips, let him breathe heavily into her mouth while she clung to him greedily.

He smelled like aftershave tinged with alcohol and something else she couldn't describe as anything but _him_.

After a minute, she had to stop, if only so she could take a proper breath.

She lowered her face, let her lips touch his collar, while he removed his hand from the back of her head and began smoothing out her hair.

Shutting her eyes, she thought the feeling of his fingers running down her back was the most calming sensation in the world.

His other hand touched her cheek, and she jumped back when she realized she had started crying again.

Well, as far back as she could with that stupid hedge in the way.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're crying."

"I just...it's silly."

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no...um..." She squirmed and glanced to the side. The lights had completely gone off. Maybe they were on a timer.

They were alone in the dark.

Alone, so why was she questioning everything that just happened?

Maybe it wasn't fair to him after everything he'd just said, but she wanted to make sure. She wouldn't be a fool this time.

Swallowing before she could lose her nerve, she blurted out, "Is this real, or will you want me to forget this tomorrow?"

She couldn't see his expression, only a shadowed outline of his face.

"I hope so," he mumbled.

"You hope what?" she asked tentatively.

"I hope it's real. I was going to ask you for a date tomorrow."

She smiled though she knew he probably couldn't see.

"You really want to?"

"Of course. You're the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. That is...if you still want to be with me."

"Pabo. If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't have been so mad at you," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well then, you can be mad at me for as long as you want," he whispered back, taking her in his arms again.

"And what if I don't want to be mad at you?" She slid her fingers through his hair.

"Then you can kiss me again."

"Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I'd been thinking about writing a sequel chapter to this one-shot ever since I posted it, but I didn't know if I would actually do it. But then I was sitting at my laptop a few days ago, and this came out. There's not really a plot here, just a fluffy continuation of the original one-shot. Hope you enjoy :)**

**Edit: I've decided to expand it to three parts, so there will be an actual date coming your way soon.**

When Ga Eul woke up, she was not in her bedroom. If the room she was currently in, with its rich cerulean draperies, double bay windows, and white marble flooring, could properly be called a bedroom.

Not in her bed, either, she realized, smoothing out the silky midnight blue comforter she had been cocooned in.

She still wore her pale pink knee-length party dress from the night before. Still wore her black tights, faux pearl earrings, and mascara. Some of the black makeup had flaked onto her pillow.

Well, not _her _pillow.

Though she was alone in the bed.

Looking around, she spotted a small grey couch in the corner of the room. Someone had curled themselves into a tight ball and slept soundly on top it, swathed in blankets.

"Yi Jeong Sunbae," she murmured.

Suddenly, the events of the night before came flashing back.

Her leaving the party in a huff.

Him following her out to the garden.

A confession. His.

Another confession. Hers.

A kiss. Then another kiss. And another.

At some point, she vaguely recollected, he'd showed her to his bedroom, leading her into the house through the staff's entrance and up a back staircase. Secluded from the remaining partiers downstairs, he'd poured them both glasses of chilled water, and they'd talked for a while. Kissed some more.

Then she must have fallen asleep, though she didn't remember doing so.

Her stomach rumbled.

Right. She'd eaten only cake for dinner.

Sitting up in the king-sized bed, she surveyed the room in the morning light filtering through a gap in the blue-curtained windows, taking in Yi Jeong's personal effects, his hidden life. Another side of him she didn't know.

To be honest, his room looked like an average guy's room, aside from its enormity and the fact that half of the décor was probably priceless. A large collection of video games here, a guitar there, posters of foreign rock bands...posters of anime shows...signed posters…

On one shelf sat a large collection of gundam figures and on another a row of books, some with foreign titles.

And, of course, there were pottery pieces scattered throughout the room. Whether they were his or another famous artist's, she had no idea.

At the far end of the room, there were two doors. One she knew was the bathroom, but the other...maybe a closet?

Glancing over at Yi Jeong's motionless figure, she wondered if he would wake up when she moved from the bed.

She slipped one leg, then the other, carefully out of the covers and over the side of the mattress. Landing on the cold marble, she padded barefoot over to the unknown door and tried the lock.

It was open.

She swung the door wide and flipped on the light beside the door frame.

A closet, indeed.

A closet that was the size of Ga Eul's own bedroom.

She'd never seen so many suits in one place, except in a department store.

And the number of shoes he had...well, she had no idea _any _guy had that many shoes.

Flipping the light back off, she cautiously closed the door. She didn't mean to be snooping, but she couldn't help but be curious. After all, he had invited her here.

Yi. Jeong. Sunbae. Had. Invited. Her. Here.

To his room.

A wave of giddiness swept over her.

She was in Yi Jeong's bedroom...had _slept_ in Yi Jeong's bedroom... while the Woo Sung heir spent the night on a couch.

Her face fell.

A rather expensive-looking, comfortable-looking couch. But a couch nonetheless.

And he'd probably slept there because he didn't want her to think he was going to take advantage of her.

The act was so gentlemanly of him, it made her want to wake him up by kissing him.

Instead, she walked over to the couch on the other side of the bed and poked gently at the covered lump of his arm, whispering his name under her breath. Yi Jeong's messy black hair was splayed across the pillow, a gray quilted blanket pulled up on him to the tip of his nose. He seemed to be deeply asleep.

"Yi Jeong Sunbae?" she tried again, a bit louder. "Are you awake?"

Yi Jeong opened his eyes halfway and stared sleepily up at her.

"Ga Eul-yang." If he was surprised to see her there, he didn't show it. "Did you sleep okay?" he mumbled. His voice was deeper than normal, and it sent a chill through her.

"I think I should be asking you that. Weren't you uncomfortable sleeping like that? You could have slept on the bed too. There was more than enough room."

Yi Jeong shifted and rubbed at his eyes.

"I know." Stretching one arm over his head, he yawned through his next statement. "But I didn't want you to wake up and freak out and start hitting me."

"Why?" She gave him a mock-suspicious look. "Is there a reason for me to hit you?"

"Only what you make up in your own head." He tilted his chin up. His hair fell across his eyes.

How could someone look that cute when they'd just woken up?

"Then...I think you're okay," she answered, smiling. Smoothing her dress out under her, she sat down gingerly on the edge of the couch.

Yi Jeong picked up one of her hands from where it came to rest on her lap and measured it against his own. His long fingers stretched past hers. In fact, her fingertips only came up to a bit past his first knuckle.

"Your hands are small," he commented.

"Is that good or bad?"

He shrugged.

"I like them."

She smiled again.

It was a minute, inconsequential thing, but she liked that he liked her hands.

"So," he replied, lacing their fingers together.

"So?"

"So, do you know where you would like to go?"

"Now?"

"On our date today. I'll let you pick."

"Oh...Well, I guess I'd have to think about it..." She trailed off, thumbing the edge of the blanket. Honestly, there were too many things she wanted to do with him. Too many things she'd dreamed about for so long. She wanted to do everything at once. It was impossible to choose.

Letting go of her hand, he opened up the blanket so she could see his fitted grey cotton t-shirt and burgundy pajama shorts.

"Want to cuddle with me while you decide then?" he asked.

She hesitated. That sounded nice, but, in truth, she'd never done anything that intimate with anyone before. A tiny part of her wasn't sure where he would go from there.

"Don't look at me like that. I let you sleep through the night, didn't I?" He grinned. "I won't do anything else, I promise."

"Um...okay." Laying down on the couch, she allowed him to adjust her until they were both comfortable.

"Unless you want me to," he added once she had settled with her back pressed into his chest. He kissed the top of her head. Patting the covers down around her, he tucked her into his warmth and wrapped his arm around her in a way that made her feel safe.

Then he was silent for a while, so silent that she thought he had drifted back off to sleep until suddenly he mumbled, "I've never brought anyone here before."

"What?" She turned her head slightly, wondering if she'd misheard him.

"Girls." He spoke a little louder. Cleared his throat. "To my room. I only invited them to my studio. You're the first person to sleep here."

"Oh."

There it was. The answer to the very question she'd been asking herself the night before. It seemed unreal that she was getting the answer this way. It seemed unreal that she was here at all, in his room, laying beside him with his arm around her. Part of her thought she must have taken her cab and left the party and was even now merely dreaming. She kept waiting to wake up. Waiting and dreading it.

But Yi Jeong's chin nuzzling her head brought her back to reality.

"Oh?" He chuckled. "That's all you have to say?"

"Well...What should I say to that? What type of person brags that they brought you someplace different than all their _hundreds_ of other dates? Honestly." She wasn't really mad, just giving him a hard time. On some level, she knew he was trying to say something sweet, flattering even.

She had done what so many others had failed to do.

But at the same time, she didn't like thinking about all the other girls he had been with. Part of her still feared she would be held up against them and found lacking.

"Hundreds? Only hundreds?" He poked her shoulder playfully. "You're doing me a great injustice, saying things like that. Thousands is more like it. I am—I mean, I was—the great Korean Casanova, don't forget."

Ga Eul gave a light chuckle, covering her mouth with the blanket.

"It's true," he continued. "Girls used to line up on the street down there just to catch a glimpse of me."

Twisting in his embrace so she could stare up at him, Ga Eul arced her eyebrow.

His dark eyes met hers, teasing and full of fondness.

"You don't believe me. Typical Ga Eul-yang."

"Am I supposed to feel intimidated by all these invisible fangirls?"

At that, his gaze softened. He toyed with the hair at her temple.

"No. I doubt you could be intimidated by anyone." He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "I tried to put you in your place once. It didn't work out so well for me."

"That's not true."

"What isn't?"

"I always felt intimidated by you," she admitted, trying not to focus on how his face loomed over hers, taking over most of her field of vision. "But I pretended not to be. Because I liked you. I couldn't not approach you just because I was scared."

He nodded, seeming to consider that. His eyes skated over her face as though searching for something.

"Are you scared now?" he asked.

She didn't expect the question, though she supposed she should have.

Was she scared?

She was, to be honest, a little nervous. Nervous about what would happen once they left this room. Nervous about how their relationship would work, exactly.

But scared? Of him?

She shook her head.

No. After all they'd been through together, she trusted him.

"Good. You shouldn't be."

Getting up on his knees and forearms, he hovered over her. Not touching her but close enough that she could reach up and run her hands over his chest if she wanted to. Up under his shirt and around his back. She wondered what that would be like. Her hands stayed fast to her side, though, weighted down by her own inhibitions given the unfamiliarity of the situation.

He lowered his face to hers, eyes dropping down to her mouth, and their noses brushed.

She parted her lips.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked.

Could he kiss her? He could kiss her all day if he wanted to.

Ga Eul nodded, words escaping her.

He could kiss her all day. And the day after that and the day after that if he wanted to.

She'd done the right thing coming to his party after all.

* * *

It was a mistake, Yi Jeong realized immediately. Climbing on top of her like that, careful not to put any weight on her. He'd wanted her for so long. Too long. And now she looked too perfect lying underneath him with her hair fanned out on his pillow. Staring up at him with her mascara-smudged eyes and soft pink lips. Lips he'd already become addicted to kissing.

"Can I kiss you?" The words left him before he knew they were there.

She nodded, her throat bobbing as she swallowed.

He wanted to devour every inch of her. Right now. But he reminded himself to go slow.

There'd be plenty of time for all of that later.

He didn't intend to let her get away again.

Bending his face down to hers, he lightly touched his lips to hers. One. Two. Three times. Each kiss as gentle as the last. For once, he wasn't trying to achieve anything or get anywhere through this simple act. He genuinely just wanted to kiss her.

She stroked his hair, brushing it away from his face, and that made him kiss along her jaw and down the side of her neck. He breathed in the scent of her perfume, faded from the evening before, mixed with the natural scent of her hair and skin.

Letting out a quiet moan into her neck when her knee accidentally brushed against his member, he knew it was dangerous to keep kissing her like this. In his pajamas. In his room. With a throbbing hard-on that was getting worse by the second.

Fuck.

He kissed the delicate skin at the base of her throat. He couldn't go much further without going underneath her clothes. And something told him she wasn't quite ready for that.

Besides, he hadn't even taken her on a proper date yet. What might she think of him? That he was using her like he'd used all those 'thousand' other girls?

Her earlier remark, though teasing, had struck a nerve.

With some effort, he kissed her cheek one last time and got up.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I'll be right back. I'm just...going to use the bathroom."

"Oh. Okay." She gave him an innocent smile and moved over so he could get up easily, completely unaware of the effect she had on him, he was sure.

He crossed the room quickly.

Shutting the bathroom door behind him, Yi Jeong leaned against the bathroom counter and stared at his reflection. Willed his heart rate to go down. Willed the rest of his body to calm down.

_Don't screw this up. Don't screw this up. Don't fucking screw this up._

The night before, he'd been running on instinct. Adrenaline. More than a little alcohol. But now, in the blinding light of day shining through those damn bay windows his mother had installed, panic seized him.

What the hell did he know about dating—actual dating?

What he hadn't told her was that she intimidated him. With her challenging opinions and unchecked emotions. With the way she could make him want her despite being the antithesis of everything he professed to believe or have interest in. With the way he'd come to crave her warmth. With how utterly terrified he was of hurting her.

This whole being-in-a-relationship thing scared the hell out of him too.

But losing her, losing her without even trying, scared him more.

And that was why, after a few minutes spent splashing water on his face and composing himself, he went back into his bedroom and asked what she wanted for breakfast.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Happy Friday! It took me a few months, but here's the last chapter in this three-shot. Their first official date! It's simple but sweet.**

**I was listening to "Anchor" by Mindy Gledhill while I wrote this. Gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings. If you had a stressful week, I hope this helps.**

"Sunbae, I think it's closed." Stepping out of Yi Jeong's car while he held the door open for her, Ga Eul surveyed the empty ice rink and the startlingly bare space surrounding it. She didn't see any people walking past it on the streets. There weren't any cars parked near them either. "Maybe we shouldn't be here," she said. "It looks like this whole area is closed."

"Let's go over anyway. Let's go." Pressing a hand to her back, Yi Jeong ushered her forward.

Cold wind pricking her face and the exposed part of her neck, Ga Eul stumbled on her black heels to keep up with his pace. Wishing he'd worn a scarf so she could steal it from him again.

They'd eaten noodles for dinner at one of her favorite noodle shops, and Yi Jeong had appeared to like the food. Though maybe he was tolerating it for her sake. She couldn't be sure.

Ga Eul had tried not to make embarrassing slurping sounds, but it was noodles, so...that was hard.

The two of them rounded the corner to the entrance of the rink—the same skating rink they had visited on their fake date—and what Ga Eul saw next made her catch her breath.

* * *

_One Hour Earlier_

Ga Eul frowned at her appearance in her bedroom mirror.

Once Yi Jeong had dropped her off at her house around eleven—after a late, leisurely breakfast neither of them seemed anxious to finish—she had rummaged through her room for half an hour before finding all of the pieces to her favorite outfit. A collared cream lace blouse with a burgundy skirt and black tights. Unfortunately, the shirt didn't look as flattering as she remembered.

Or maybe she'd simply filled out in ways that made the material across her chest appear tight and awkwardly pinched.

Or maybe she was imagining things.

Ga Eul bit her lip as she adjusted her shirt collar in front of the full-length silver-framed mirror that hung from the back of her closet door.

She hoped he hadn't thought her idea was dumb. Or boring. Or cliché.

Or repetitive.

The skating rink? Again?

He must think she'd never gone on a date anywhere else.

Unfortunately, when he'd asked her for the second time where she wanted to go, that was the first place that had come to her mind, so she'd blurted it out when she blanked on literally every other place in Seoul.

Ga Eul paced the room, putting away small items and clicking her tongue at the thin layer of dust coating her furniture.

Makeup applied, check.

Pearl earrings, check.

Hair curled, check.

Perfume, check.

Too early to put on her coat.

Too late to start a drama episode.

She glanced at her phone.

Five fifty.

Ten minutes until he was supposed to pick her up.

Maybe she should rehearse things they could talk about. She could make a list.

Well, not a physical list. That would be weird.

But it had occurred to her that they had never talked about themselves much; she hoped their dinner conversation wouldn't be too awkward.

The last time they went to dinner, he'd been using her to prove a point to his father.

And the previous night had been different too; there had been the party going on, and obviously it was his birthday.

Then that morning had been something else entirely, but at least she had plenty to comment on while he took her on a tour of his house and they ate breakfast in the expansive dining room. Thankfully, his parents were away, and they had the house to themselves. Hence the party from the night before. Breakfast had been a combination of Western and Korean cuisine, with four different meats and a full coffee bar. It reminded her of being at a hotel.

Yi Jeong had later commented on the way to her house that he didn't normally eat that much for breakfast; she'd given him such a vague answer about what she wanted, he'd simply directed his staff to prepare everything they had readily available.

Which meant an intercontinental buffet was _only_ what they had 'readily available.'

Ga Eul shook her head. She'd never thought of herself as poor by any means; her father had a respectable job that provided her and her mother with a comfortable, albeit moderate, life.

But Yi Jeong's childhood must have been something unfathomable.

Mulling over that fact, she picked up her pink wool coat and purse.

It was five fifty-five. She might as well go wait out in the yard. It wasn't too chilly out, and anyway, some fresh air would do her good before she squeezed into the close confines of his car.

Ga Eul had barely opened the door to her room, however, when the doorbell rang.

She paused in the open doorway.

He hadn't said anything about coming to the door.

At least, she'd assumed he would call her when he got to her house like he had on their fake date with Jun Pyo and Jan Di.

Ga Eul's mother, noticing her paralyzed state from the kitchen, ceased chopping carrots and walked over to their front door. She swung it open, and there Yi Jeong stood, charming smile at the ready, wearing a light gray suit, a salmon and burgundy pinstripe tie tucked neatly into his waistcoat. In his hand, he clutched a bouquet of white and pink carnations.

"Good evening." He bowed. "You must be Ga Eul's mother."

"Oh, yes, good evening. You must be So Yi Jeong. Oh, what lovely flowers. These are for Ga Eul?" Her mother motioned her over, and Ga Eul's legs moved numbly towards the door.

"Actually, these are for you." Yi Jeong offered the bouquet to Ga Eul's mother. Her mother gasped in surprise. "I apologize. I should have introduced myself a long time ago," he continued smoothly. "Ga Eul and I have been friends for a while. I know Ga Eul through Jan Di."

"Oh, yes, Ga Eul told me," her mother replied, going on to ask him about himself, where he went to school, what he was studying, where he would be taking Ga Eul that evening. The name So Yi Jeong hadn't rung any bells with her mother when Ga Eul had told her his name. But perhaps, given Yi Jeong's reputation, that was for the best.

The rest of the introductions went by in a blur, with Ga Eul gaping like a fish at the sight of Yi Jeong making small talk with her mother.

Then suddenly they were sitting in his car, shoulder to shoulder.

Ga Eul thought she shouldn't be so uncomfortable. It was just his car. The same car he's been driving her around in for two years. But she couldn't help how flustered she felt when their shoulders touched. Perhaps more so because she was actually allowed to touch him now. In less innocent ways.

She swallowed as Yi Jeong turned his key in the ignition. The orange Lotus roared to life. That seemed to be his favorite car, though she knew he had others. A red Cadillac and a white Audi.

The Audi she only knew about because he'd showed it to her when they went out to his car garage that morning. A sports car as well, it still had far more space between the seats than this one. But of course he would pick the Lotus for a date. The car that gave the least amount of space possible between bodies.

Habits of a playboy, she supposed.

Turning the heat on, he told her to let him know if she got too hot or too cold, and she nodded.

Ga Eul chewed on her lip while he started the car up and pulled away from her house. Avoiding looking at him, she feigned interest in the passing houses she'd seen a million times.

"So I thought we could eat at this French place I like. Unless you have somewhere else you'd like to go," Yi Jeong offered.

"Um." Ga Eul's brain tried to catch up to his words. "Actually, I've really been wanting to eat noodles. There's a place I like. It's only about five minutes from here. I promise it's good." Not that the French place didn't sound good, but it was probably fancy to the point where she would feel out of place. She was already nervous as it was, and noodles were her comfort food.

Thankfully, Yi Jeong didn't seem to mind.

"Fine by me. Just tell me where to turn." Yi Jeong fiddled with the radio, and the low hum of a foreign r&b song filled the car.

"Take a right up here." Ga Eul pointed. "You'll go through three traffic lights, and then it will be on the left. I'll show you."

Yi Jeong nodded and put his turn signal on.

She let out a breath.

They were really doing this.

She couldn't believe they were really doing this.

* * *

_Present_

"I told you it wasn't closed. You didn't believe me."

Yi Jeong smirked at Ga Eul. Quite proud of his plan for the evening.

A small table had been set up in front of the rink on which a white tablecloth had been placed and strewn with red rose petals. On one side of the table lay a bouquet of red and white roses and on the other a cheesecake topped with strawberries and garnished with red roses and baby's breath.

He'd rented out the skating rink so he could recreate their date and do it the right way. It had cost him a little extra doing it on such short notice, but seeing as how money wasn't an issue...and the girl happened to be worth it...

Laughing at Ga Eul's speechlessness, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the table.

There were times when his Casanova skills came in handy, even if he wasn't using them for their original purpose. Here there were no crowds of people to jostle them about. No nosy best friends following them around. Just lights in the trees and lights circling the perimeter of the rink. White roses twined around the railings. A full moon and a lone violinist playing a classical song Ji Hoo would probably recognize.

Ga Eul had been quiet earlier in the evening, but she'd steadily grown more talkative during dinner.

Picking up the bouquet of roses, Ga Eul looked from the table to him, a question in her eyes.

"I ordered dessert. Since ours was absconded last time," he explained.

"Is this...didn't you order cheesecake when we were in the hotel?"

Yi Jeong nodded.

"You said you liked cheesecake."

"I did?"

"When I was driving you home from the hotel, you said Jan Di knew how much you liked cheesecake."

"Oh." Ga Eul laughed. "I don't remember that. I thought I remembered every..." She broke off. "Uh, anyway, should we sit down?" She gestured to the table.

Yi Jeong thought about teasing her regarding whatever she had been about to say but, deciding not to embarrass her further at the moment, went behind her and pulled out her chair for her instead.

"And here I thought you only bought flowers for my mother." Ga Eul smiled into the bouquet as she sat down, lowering her eyes as she breathed in their scent.

They ate their cheesecake slowly, Ga Eul surveying the skating rink with an awed expression from time to time.

"Am I that impressive?" he asked when she had swallowed a bite.

"What?"

"You keep looking around like you've never been here before."

"Oh, that...I guess I just didn't expect someone would do something like this for me." She gave him a warm, dreamy smile. Probably thinking of the dramatic ending to a romantic movie. It was flattering, in a way, being the object of Ga Eul's romantic fantasies.

However, Yi Jeong was still uncomfortable with the idea of being a lovesick sap, or a knight-in-shining-armor type for that matter, and decided to play it off. Crossing his legs, he noted coolly, "Well, since it's the first date, a simple one is best, yes? Otherwise, what will have to look forward to later?"

"S-simple?"

"You should probably get used to it. If you keep looking around like that while we're walking, you'll be sure to run into something."

She raised her eyebrows at him, probably debating whether or not to call him a show-off.

Finally, she nodded and simply said, "Whatever you say, Sunbae." She scooped up another bite of cheesecake and kept her eyes on her plate as she placed it in her mouth. He watched her lips as she chewed, remembering how it had felt to finally kiss them.

Yi Jeong had always thought of girls as puzzles to be solved. Complicated at first, maybe, but always yielding a simple solution. Ga Eul was the opposite. The more he got to know her, the less he could predict her actions. Because she wasn't simple. He couldn't put her in a neat, nicely defined box. In the same category, even, as most so-called 'good girls' he had met. If only because she'd made herself that way by caring so much about him, even when it wouldn't benefit her personally. And having such high expectations of him. And not giving a damn how he responded to her persistence. That was the second reason he'd wanted to go out with her.

But he was also a guy, and of course the number one reason he'd wanted to go out with her was the same reason he'd liked to pick on her in New Caledonia.

So he couldn't help but say one thing.

"Ga Eul-yang," he said, more softly.

"Yes?" She looked up.

"You look pretty."

She blushed like he knew she would.

But then she surprised him by answering, "I'm that impressive, huh?"

* * *

Soon enough, they had finished their slices of cheesecake, and Ga Eul laced on her skates.

She held out her hands expectantly for him to pull her up, and he happily obliged her.

"Do I have to teach you how to skate again," he asked as they walked over to the entrance of the rink, "or were you pretending to be bad at this before so you could hold on to me?"

"I wasn't pretending anything," Ga Eul mumbled. There was a double meaning in that statement, he thought. "But," she continued, "if you mean do you have to hold my hands and lead me romantically across the ice like in a drama, then yes, you have to teach me how to skate." She clung to his hands as he backed onto the ice in his black dress shoes. Her luminescent dark hair spilled over the shoulders of her pale pink coat, and her lips, a glossy pink, glistened when she smiled as he pulled her towards him.

"If you really want to learn how to skate, I can let go of you. Falling down is part of the process," he said. He let go of her, just for a second, and, caught off guard, she wobbled to the left. Catching her before she fell, he gripped her hands tighter to show her he hadn't meant it.

"Yah! What was that? You really haven't been on a real date before," she replied, scowling. "You're so bad at this."

"That's not it," he said, drawing her closer to him. "When the little birds are learning how to fly, the mother bird pushes them out of the nest." He pushed her gently away from him to demonstrate, still clutching her hands.

"I'm not a bird. And if you push me down on the ice, I'll take out your legs, and then you'll be down there with me," she retorted.

Yi Jeong chuckled and spun her around, making her burst into giggles despite her indignation.

A few laps around the rink later, the fireworks he'd prepared for the evening burst overhead, and Ga Eul clapped her hands as she had before.

That had been one of his favorite memories of their second fake date—the way her eyes lit up when he snapped his fingers and the sky exploded in a rain of sparkling color.

She hadn't been looking at him, so he could smile at her without worrying if his eyes betrayed how much he actually enjoyed being with her. She hadn't been looking at him, so he could enjoy seeing her happy without thinking of all the ways he might make her unhappy in the future.

But tonight she did look at him, after only a brief moment of watching the fireworks, and any thoughts of future unhappiness faded away. Especially when she brought herself closer to him and asked, "Sunbae, are you ready for the climax?"

"Climax? What do you mean?" Yi Jeong replied, genuinely confused.

Gripping his coat to steady herself, Ga Eul offered him the most dazzling smile he'd ever seen—and he did think his own smile was quite dazzling, to be fair—and, without another word, pressed her lips to his.


End file.
